I was planning on riding up to Crystal Lake, but unfortunately I had mechanical problems on the way... on my car Clutch died on me; luckily I was close to an auto repair shop.

I was planning on driving to the top of SGRT and starting from there. Maybe next time -- how far did you get before you had to start cycling through snow?

Fun! Snow started covering the road shortly above the closure gate just above 5,000 ft (just above the turnoff for Crystal Lake). I was able to ride for about a mile and a half beyond that, through slushy snow that was no more than a few inches deep (and thus my wheels had no problem pushing through it while staying in contact with the pavement). Beyond that last curve around to the backside, the snow got deeper and less slushy and became much tougher to ride through. That said, if you are heading to Cystal Lake itself, and not just continuing on 39, it should be plowed and clear all the way up.